Formula 1

Sergey Sirotkin: “Qualifying didn’t feel as bad as it looks on the timesheet”

1 Mins read
Sergey Sirotkin - Williams Martini Racing - Spa-Francorchamps
Credit: Octane Photographic Ltd

Sergey Sirotkin could only qualify eighteenth for the Belgian Grand Prix on Saturday but felt his performance did not warrant such a lowly grid slot at Spa-Francorchamps.

The Williams Martini Racing driver said his final attempt in Qualifying felt good behind the wheel, and had he had his eyes closed, he would have thought it would have been good enough for better than where he actually finished.

But such is the pace deficit this season for his Williams team – Sirotkin is the only driver on the grid yet to have scored a point in the opening twelve races of the season – it means that the Russian was eliminated in Q1, although he moves up to sixteenth on the grid thanks to the grid penalties for both Valtteri Bottas and Nico Hülkenberg.

“Today’s a shame as qualifying didn’t feel as bad as it looks on the timesheet,” said Sirotkin, who finished 0.136 seconds faster than team-mate Lance Stroll in the session.  “I think, like yesterday, we’ve got a more balanced, stable and understandable base and we’d expected to get more performance from it today than we actually did.

“I think my lap was really good, but in the last chicane I didn’t nail it so Fernando ended up half a tenth ahead of me. I think otherwise I could have got ahead of him, but not by much as that’s the limit of the car.

“Unfortunately, it’s one of those days where with your eyes closed you’d say it was a good job, but when you look at the timesheet it’s not. It’s confusing for me because it felt like an improvement.” 

13769 posts

About author
Long time motorsport fanatic, covering Formula 1 and the occassional other series. Feel free to give him a follow on Twitter at @Paul11MSport.
Articles
Related posts
Formula 1

2024 Australian Grand Prix - TCF Driver of the Weekend

2 Mins read
TheCheckeredFlag Driver of the Weekend is revealed for the 2024 Australian Grand Prix.
Formula 1

2024 Australian Grand Prix – What the Team Principals are Saying after the Race

7 Mins read
The ten Team Principals reflect on drivers performances at Albert Park during Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix, a race that saw Ferrari claim their first win of 2024.
Formula 1

2024 Australian Grand Prix – What the Drivers are Saying after the Race – Part 2

7 Mins read
Those who missed out on points in Australia reflect on their races, including Max Verstappen, who retired from a Grand Prix for the first time since the same event in 2022.